Tag Archives: shiraz

Tscharke 2012 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

Posted on by

Yes, it’s that time again fellow wine lovers!

Just in time for the New Year, December’s Wine of the Month takes us to one of the very best experiences that the Barossa has on offer, Tscharke’s Place.

Damien and Eva Tscharke opened their incredible cellar door in September 2011 and have been going from strength to strength ever since.

The German designed building is a unique landmark in the Barossa and well worth the visit (I might even know a good way to get there!). Just make sure you ask Damien for a look at his underground cellar, you won’t be disappointed.

Tscharke’s produces a number of evolving varieties such as Montepulciano, Savagnin, Graciano, Touriga and Tempranillo as well as Barossa classics such as Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The latter group is where we take this month’s tasting from, the classic Southern Rhone blend and Barossa favourite the GSM, a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre (or Mataro). Although technically a GMS with a higher percentage of Mourvedre than Shiraz, we didn’t let the fine print get in the way of enjoying this lovely wine.

This month’s tasting was once again done with members of the elusive ‘Tool Time’ wine club, a group that has a waiting list of over 10 years!

Bottle of Tscharke 2012 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

Regular contributors Mark Calligeros, perhaps the world’s most highly sought after and expensive lawyer; respected wine figure Uby Faddoul, a man regularly confused with famous movie stars because of his brooding good looks, and Adelaide socialite and party boy Paul Bell made up this month’s tasters at one of our regular hotspots, T-Chow restaurant in the heart of China Town in the city. Guest imbiber Patrick Comerford, another ‘man about town’ in the Paul Bell mould was our special guest taster for the day.

GSM’s by nature are fantastic food wines and the Tscharke Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre certainly did not disappoint in this regard. We paired it with just about everything on the menu from entrees such as Salt and Pepper Squid and Dumplings to mains such as Green Peppercorn Chicken, Sizzling Beef, Twin Baked Pepper Pork Ribs and T-Chow Duck, my point being that this is an extremely versatile wine that goes VERY well with many different and varied foods!

Mark described it as an easy drinking GSM with lots of flavour. We both felt it had plenty of pepper on the palate and Mark also commented on the nice berry overtones as well. He felt Grenache was the hero of the blend as you would expect but all in all, a very happy union of the three varieties.

Paul said the wine was very good…

Uby said that once again Tscharke’s had produces a very well structured blend with a wonderfully fruity burst on hitting the palate that is delicately balanced.

This is a great ‘drink now’ wine that will also satisfy those that are patient enough to lay it down for a couple of years (I however, do not fit into this category!).

Ridiculously underpriced at only $22 a bottle, do yourself a favour and get your hands on some of this fantastic blend sooner rather that later. Even better, get up to the Barossa and go and say g’day to the Tscharke’s in person.

Cheers,
Scott

Langmeil 2011 Valley Floor Shiraz

Posted on by

My very first review is from one of my favourite wineries, Langmeil, a Barossa winery with origins dating back to 1843.

Langmeil is home to what is believed to be the world’s oldest known Shiraz vines, the ‘Freedom’ vines which celebrate their 170th birthday this year, and the 152 year old ‘Orphan Bank’ Shiraz vines. Both are outstanding examples of the best of what the Barossa has to offer.

2011 was a challenging year in the Barossa with a very wet winter and above average summer rainfall. The conditions resulted in no ‘Freedom’ or ‘Orphan Bank’ being made in 2011 due to not being quite to the high standard that Langmeil demands. The good news is that the fruit from these vines had to go somewhere! 

The ‘Valley Floor’ Shiraz has long been a favourite of mine. It offers fantastic value for money at $29.50 a bottle and shows all of the characteristics of a typical Barossa Shiraz.

It sources fruit from a number of vineyards in the Barossa from vines anywhere from nine to 120 years old, and spends 18 months in a combination of 13% new American oak, 5% new French oak and 82% seasoned American oak hogsheads.

My tasting was done with close friend Mark ‘Evil’ Calligeros, one of Adelaide’s pre-eminent lawyers and a fellow wine enthusiast.

The wine looks very inviting in the glass with a deep crimson colour. We paired it with Sizzling Beef and Salt & Pepper Pork from T-Chow in Adelaide’s China Town in the heart of the city – one of our regular haunts.

Mark and I detected plums and raspberry on the nose, while the tasting notes also mention chocolate, cedar, white pepper and spice.

On the palate, the wine shows the great spicy fruit that we were hoping for and were expecting. Mark also picked up on a hint of vanilla with his second glass.

 

The ‘Valley Floor’ is a fantastically well balanced wine with a rich, round finish with hints of pepper at the end. As the wine opened up, we both commented about it being everything that a Barossa Shiraz is known for, but also being decidedly easy to drink, even now in its infancy.

This wine’s structure will see it easily cellar for another 10 years if you have the will power!

It is easy to see why the staff at the Langmeil cellar door consider the Valley Floor to be the best Shiraz in the Barossa under $30, and it is pretty hard to argue against their logic. Do yourself a favour, grab a bottle of it and enjoy a fantastic wine at an even better price.

Visit Langmeil Winery for more details

Cheers,

Scott